Lightening Strikes- Two Jets on Approach

I was on a plane flying from Nashville to Atlanta last year that had 35-40 strikes. They had to ground the plane after to check it out.

 

We had a B-17 struck by lightning at Langley Field that knocked out one engine and burned most of the HV wiring in the airplane. It's in the book.

 

Very unusual - when I lived in Seattle, I saw lightning exactly four times in 3 years! I see more than that sometimes in one evening here in Atlanta!

 

I know what your saying, Jim. I have lived in several places that breed lightning storms. Florida, the Chesapeake Bay, western plains, and north Idaho. Not much in Seattle. Funny, everyone thinks the end of the world is coming. I grew up with it.

 

normally the static wicks should dissipate the difference in potential... atmospherics must have been really loaded at that moment...

would be interesting to see the aircraft skins to see how big the hit was... lightening usually erodes the aluminum at the site of the strike... the photo could also be an illusion of a direct hit... even a static discharge ( being near a lightning strike ) can destroy a lot of electronics as well... '

a full inspection would be appropriate, a lot of damage could be hidden